Summary Of Ida B. Wells-Barnetts Southern Horrors

Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s Southern Horrors was published with the intention of bringing awareness to the injustice of Southern lynching and exposing its true purpose. With the Confederate Army’s defeat and the reunification of the United States at the end of the Civil War, thousands of previously enslaved African-Americans suddenly found themselves freed from their owners. This newfound freedom however, was not nearly at the same level as whites and other minorities. Especially in the south, many former slaves were subjected to cruel treatment and a lack of opportunities. â€Å"The South resented giving the Afro-American his freedom, the ballot box and the Civil Rights Law.† Many former slaves were threatened with violence if they did not stay†¦show more content†¦II. During the late Nineteenth Century, The Free Speech was one of the only journals in the country that spoke directly to African-Americans. As an author for this journal, Wells-Barnett sought to enlighten the public with information that was rarely published in other newspapers. In the event that knowledge of these lynchings were made public, they rarely contained accurate information. This journal was without a doubt a nuisance to the southern white press, who sought to discredit African-Americans in order to keep them out of political matters. The Free Speech went too far in a publication written for the May 21st, 1892 paper. The article describes the lynching of eight men since the previous publication. The deaths and crimes are described and doubt is expressed that most of the individuals were actually guilty. The spark that led to Wells-Barnett’s attempted lynching is found at the end of the article. â€Å"Nobody in this section of the country believes the old thread-bare lie that Negro men rape white women. If Southern white men are not careful, they will overreach themselves and public sentiment will have a reaction, a conclusion will then be reached whi ch will be very damaging to the moral reputation of their women.† With the publishing of this article, local whites became enraged and took this as a direct threat to their â€Å"authority† over African-Americans. Local newspapers such as The Daily Commercial wrote follow up articles testifying to the